Jun 05, 2009  |  By: Amy Cavanaugh  | COMMENTS     

Six months after she became Equality Maryland’s executive director, Kate Runyon is leaving the organization.

Runyon announced this week that she’s resigning her position effective June 12. A former interim head of Michigan’s Triangle Foundation, Runyon did not cite a reason for her resignation.

“I feel fortunate and proud to have directed Equality Maryland’s efforts during our last legislative session and in the months surrounding it, and I have no doubts that those following me in the movement will serve it well and continue the push for inclusion and equality,” she wrote in an open letter posted to Equality Maryland’s web site.

Scott Davenport, Equality Maryland’s board president, said in a statement that board members “very much regret” Runyon’s stepping down.

“We will miss her warmth and energy, and are sorry our constituents will not benefit from the many gifts she has to offer.”

Equality Maryland and the Equality Maryland Foundation have begun a national search for a new executive director. Until a new director is in place, Equality Maryland Foundation Board President David Toth will handle day-to-day management of the organizations.

“While I, too, am saddened by Kate’s resignation, I look forward to working with everyone involved at Equality Maryland in continuing to move the organization and our community forward,” Toth said in a statement.

Runyon said in the letter she would stay in Baltimore, and she’s “looking forward to devoting more time and energy to my creative endeavors and increasing my involvement in the burgeoning field of art for social change.” She did not elaborate.